When one asks who the greatest power forward of all time is, nine times out of ten the avid NBA fan will tell you, Tim Duncan. This makes sense when you take into account his impressive resume to go along with some of the gaudy numbers he tallied throughout his career. Even in his last season when he was finally showing his age, he was still putting up great defensive and efficiency totals. However, is that particular season the most overlooked of his career? Without further adieu, let’s discuss Tim Duncan’s most underrated season of his legendary career.
Tim Duncan: The Most Underrated Season of his Career
The Big Fundamental: His 2002-03 Campaign
It may seem odd picking a season in which Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs finished by winning the title. The truth of the matter is that Duncan has so many impressive seasons on his resume that it’s hard to pick one that gets overlooked. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets four games to two to end their impressive campaign. Duncan also helped lead the Spurs to a regular-season win-loss record of 60-22. As the star of the team, with up and comers in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli to go along with the aging, but still, effective David Robinson, Tim Duncan did a remarkable job of being a solid teammate and the star who could get the job done.
Of course, having the legendary head coach Gregg Popovich’s help matters. The man is a master at balancing star egos and fostering a winning culture. However, even Popovich would probably admit this Spurs team would not have achieved this type of success without Duncan. This was a season where fans truly saw Tim Duncan in his prime. It gets forgotten that Duncan won the MVP this season! His numbers certainly showcase this sentiment as well.
Tim Duncan: His Numbers in the 2002-03 Season
As expected, Tim Duncan had great, yet efficient, numbers in the 2002-03 campaign. He put up 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Duncan also blocked 2.9 shots per game during that time. On top of these totals, the Big Fundamental shot 51.3% from the field to couple with a free throw percentage of 79.9%.
His advanced statistics are also impressive. During the 2002-03 season, Duncan averaged a defensive rating of 94 to go along with a defensive win share total of 6.9. Duncan’s total win share number for that season finished at 16.5. Not to mention, his block percentage for that season reads 5.2% to couple with a total rebounding percentage of 19%. To say Tim Duncan was impressive during the San Antonio Spurs’ 2002-03 championship season would be an understatement. That campaign is truly the Big Fundamental’s most underrated season of his illustrious career.
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